I Do
by Darth Tromeros
Summary: "But at the same time as he was drunk on her happiness, inside he felt as if he were dying. He wanted to embrace her and tell her the truth, but he knew it would never work. Neither of them would accept reality." Tony, now married to Melissa, reflects on the genie that he lost.
1. Chapter 1

I do.

They were two simple words. Only three letters long total.

Yet there was so much meaning behind them.

He pretended like he didn't know why saying them didn't feel right. He pretended like he didn't know why he was bothered looking up and seeing Melissa's dark eyes after slipping the diamond-encrusted ring on her finger.

When it had come his turn to say it… he wanted to stop and think about it for a while. He wanted to ask Melissa to excuse him and pause the whole wedding and leave to think about what saying "I do" really meant before he blabbed them like a naïve child.

He loved Melissa. Or at least he thought he did. He was so sure of it, until he found that bottle. Suddenly, holding her hand didn't seem to have that spark. Holding her close didn't intoxicate him. Kissing her didn't leave him breathless. Honestly, he wasn't sure anymore if he felt that way to begin with.

But it was too late now.

It was late as he thought over it for the thousandth time. His eyes kept wandering from his newspaper to his clock and then to the empty table where an elaborate bottle used to sit.

"Are you coming to bed, darling?"

"Hmm?" He looked up to see Melissa. Her hand came down softly on his face and cupped around his chin. "Oh, I will sometime."

"You seem bothered." Her voice sounded concerned.

"I'm fine. Just thinking about something at the base. I'll be in bed soon."

"Okay," she said, skepticism in her voice. "It's eleven o'clock, though."

"I'm aware."

She gave him a tired smile before kissing his forehead. "Goodnight."

He turned back to his newspaper. He had been reading the same article for the past twenty minutes, and yet in the dim lamp light he still didn't comprehend a word of it. Sighing, he folded his newspaper up and looked back over to the place where _she _once was.

Where Jeannie once was.

It was such a short time he knew her, yet his heart ached when he thought of her name. He thought she was the one clinging to him, desperate to be loved, but in the silent room he realized it was the opposite now.

Standing up, he went over and grabbed at the air, as if the bottle was to suddenly appear.

He could never forget the look on her face when he told her he might not be able to keep her when Melissa and him got married. Thinking about it broke his heart in the worse way imaginable. She had been so concerned and worried that he really _was _getting married her jealously had disappeared and suddenly she stopped trying to get him so hard.

It was a bit strange not having her so energetic and feisty. She came and went only when she needed. Only things she ever said were things like, "Good morning, master" or "There you go, master" or "Good night, master." No fuss was made when she was put back in her bottle.

Tony couldn't bear to see her like this, but at the same time he knew he could never keep her. When he would mention Melissa's name, there would be a spiteful glint in Jeannie's eye before dissolving slowly away.

He had to get rid of her.

When he came to that conclusion, he didn't want to accept it. Jeannie was fantastic to him. She might have been a bit annoying at times, but she had good intentions (mostly). But he knew he had to be rid of her before he grew more attached or Melissa ended up with no hair and singed eyebrows.

His heart heavy, he knew he would have to trick her.

* * *

The night before he would have to leave her, he presented her a bouquet of blood red roses and then took her out to a restaurant and went dancing. It was so nice to see her beautiful smile and her gorgeous eyes sparkle as the spun on the dance floor; to have her body near his during slow moments. But at the same time as he was drunk on her happiness, inside he felt as if he were dying. He wanted to embrace her and tell her the truth, but he knew it would never work. Neither of them would accept reality.

When they had gotten home, he took her into his bedroom and had her lay down with him. His arm wrapped around hers, he pulled her to him so she was resting right by his side, her head resting on his shoulder. She would start telling him something or talk about what a lovely night it had been and how unexpected as well. Then it would fade into nothingness, and he could feel her chest rise and fall against him. Minutes turned into hours, and soon she was asleep.

He moved slightly to see her face as she slept. Her hair was still up and her dress was still on, as well as his tux, but he forgot all about it as she was peaceful beside him. His finger played with the curls in her hair as he breathed in her perfume. As he hugged her to him, he knew he needed to sleep but he didn't want to waste any moment not looking at her. Before he knew it, though, he was asleep himself, still holding her tightly to him.

Sunlight filtered in through the windows and onto the tranquil couple. Jeannie stirred first; her eyes slowly opened to see the face of her beloved master. Joyful, she kissed his cheek. "Oh, master," she sighed.

He awoke as well. Taking a moment to remember what had happened the night before, he asked, "Did you sleep well, Jeannie?"

"Very." She nuzzled her head into his neck.

Absorbing her touch, he waited a moment before sitting both himself and her up to kiss her forehead. Embracing her again, he murmured, "Jeannie, you're the best girl anyone could ever have."

"Really?" She turned around, excitement in her eyes. "What about Melissa?"

Heart dropping to his stomach, he answered, "Let's not talk about Melissa. It's just you and me right now."

"Mm." She closed her eyes as she turned back to snuggle up against him. Once again, he leaned down and kissed her forehead. Her eyes fluttered open as she pulled away from him, spinning around on one knee and placing her lips a bit hesitantly on his.

While she had kissed him assertively before, this one as a light, simple, and sweet kiss. It was an easy message to read, but so full of things that it made Tony's head spin.

He had enough. He had to stop.

"Jeannie," he said.

Pulling her head back, she answered, "What is it, master?"

"I need you to get in your bottle."

"Oh, but master, you have to have breakfast."

Tony hesitated. Should he leave her with the kiss or not? "No, Jeannie, it is okay. Do it for me, please?"

"Very well, master." She stood up from the bed, blinking into her normal harem costume before going into the living room. Hearing her turn to smoke, Tony hurried out and put on the glass top.

"Jeannie, I don't want to do this," he told her. Tears watered his vision. "But I have too. I don't want to explain—I couldn't if I tried—but Jeannie…." His voice broke. Clearing his throat, he started again, "But Jeannie… please remember me because I'll always remember you."

He didn't look at the bottle as he drove down to a beach. There was an area he had in mind that was covered with things that nobody ever dug through; there, he placed the bottle.

As he turned away, he thought he heard Jeannie sob, "Oh, master!"

He didn't look back.

* * *

The clock read 12:18 when he looked up again. For the past hour he had had his head buried in the crook of his elbow, silently weeping as he remembered his last memory with Jeannie.

Wiping his puffy red eyes, he exclaimed angrily, "You stupid fool! You love Melissa, not Jea—not anyone else." Standing up, he staggered towards the bedroom. "Melissa is your wife, not Je-Jean—" Bringing a shaking arm to his eyes, he wiped hot tears away.

"Melissa," he told himself. "Think of Melissa." Opening the bedroom door, he climbed into bed.

"Tony? Is that you?" Melissa's tired voice asked.

He stayed silent for a moment trying to compose himself. "Yes."

She gave a sleepy moan.

Tony looked over at his wife. She looked stunning in the moonlight. Yet he didn't feel it was right to lie next to her as he slept. He couldn't wrap his arms around her or kiss her gently on the forehead or trace the lines in her hands because something inside him wouldn't let him. Something about her the corner of her lips as she smiled or the creases of her forehead didn't thrill him the way it did when he had that spunky blonde laying beside him on that night that stayed so vivid in his mind.

He never felt so lonely before.


	2. Chapter 2

He hated himself for doing this.

The impulse was too strong, though. Endless thoughts tormented him day after day. When he would hug or kiss Marissa, he would feel guilty. When the side table would catch his eye, his throat would tighten. When he was silently amusing himself with thinking through things that happened that day, they would strike and he felt as if he were slowly dying inside.

It had gotten to a point where Dr. Bellows was on the verge of going through a three-hour session with Tony. Something was noticeably wrong. Roger saw it. Melissa saw it. The other astronauts saw it. But no one knew why, and Tony was dead set on telling everyone nothing happened and he was absolutely fine.

_Maybe that's the denial Dr. Bellows was talking about_, Tony thought to himself bitterly. _Face it, Tony, she's gone._

The beach came into his view, and his attempts to consol himself and move on disappeared.

The weather outside seemed so happy when he felt worse than dead inside. A breeze lightly ruffled the palm trees as the sun was starting to set. Tony left his car, observing how empty the beach was now as he climbed down the side. A short walk later, he came across the patch of plants where he had left Jeannie under.

Digging though it, he pulled out the extravagant bottle. His fingers lingered over the glass top. The whole world held its breath as he contemplated whether or not he should take off that lid. If he did, how would Jeannie react? Would he be able to leave her again?

Lowering the bottle, he set it down on the sand and stared at it for a while. A storm brewed inside of him. He needed to say goodbye once and for all, but he wanted to tell Jeannie everything he needed too. Did he want to part with her now and leave her thinking for eternity that he didn't want her or say goodbye again and have her know how he truly felt?

Suddenly the glass top was off and pink smoke came out. Jeannie was on her knees, bowing. "Welcome, new master. I am—" She looked up. Terror filled her eyes. "Old master, I…." She stumbled backwards.

"Jeannie," he managed to choke out. "Oh, Jeannie." A tear trickled down his cheek.

Jeannie looked back at him somberly, her lip quivering. "Why did you leave me, master?"

"I… I got married. I couldn't have you and Melissa both."

She stayed quiet, tears rolling down her face too, dampening the sand below. "Master… you tricked me."

"I know I tricked you, and it was an awful trick, but I… I couldn't say goodbye, Jeannie." He came closer to her, his knees shuffling through the sand. "Jeannie, I regret not telling you."

Her mouth opened, but no words came out. Looking hopeless, she burst into tears and put her arms out, only to bring them back a second later. "You do not want me!" she sobbed. "Leave me, master!"

"Jeannie, listen to me," he said, his heart being torn to shreds.

Jeannie let out a wail but didn't say any more.

Tony paused for a moment to think of what he was going to say. "Jeannie, I didn't know I loved you," he started. "I didn't know _how _much I loved you until I left you behind me. That last night with you… I wanted to do so many things. I wanted to escape from reality and have it just be you and me, undisturbed. But I was so lost, so confused, so scared that I… I went through with it." He glanced up at her. Her fingers were folded over her mouth, shoulders shaking as she stifled her sobs.

"And then when I put you on this beach… I thought that this was a mistake. I brushed it off, though. I thought I was going to be okay. I was wrong, Jeannie. Everyday since—even on my wedding day—I think of you and I cry. Everybody's noticed how hopeless and brokenhearted I seem now. Jeannie, please remember that I deserve all this for hurting you and that, well, Jeannie… I love you."

She removed her hand from her mouth. "You… you really meant that when you said that?"

He nodded. "Oh, Jeannie, I love you a lot."

"But… you barely know me."

"I've thought the same thing, Jeannie, but I love you." He paused. "I love you, Jeannie!" he exclaimed again. "Oh, I love you."

"Master, you are so loud," she said in a hushed voice.

Standing up, he screamed at the ocean, "I love Jeannie!" His voice echoed as he stood there.

"Master." She looked at him concerned, tears glinting in the corner of her eyes.

"I'm sorry Jeannie," he apologized. "But… I feel so much better now. I want the world to know that I love you."

"And I love you, master," she replied, her voice breaking.

He took her in his arms and let her cry, feeling the tears soak into his uniform. Goosebumps went up his arms as her fingers gripped his sides. She was so warm, so female that he felt exhilarated even though she was broken in his arms.

"Jeannie," he said softly, pushing her back slightly. Her eyes met his before he bent down and kissed her the same way she kissed him the last time they were together. Her muscles relaxed, her hands curving around his face as his arms wrapped around her back. For a moment, they were the only two people in the world, kissing in front of the setting sun in the middle of a beach. Tony remembered the first time they met and how they shared a kiss stranded somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. How he wished he could be there again.

Slowly, the broke apart, their breathing jagged. "If only it was not too late," she sighed sadly, pressing her head against his chest. "I guess this is goodbye for good."

Stroking her hair, they stood there for what seemed like hours. They both calmed down, staring in different directions, no words left to say. Tony felt like he was gradually accepting the truth that Jeannie was no longer going to pop in every morning with breakfast and a kiss. He had Melissa, and while she was no Jeannie, this was the path he chose.

"Maybe… this isn't goodbye," Tony said finally. Jeannie looked up at him with confusion on her face.

"But master… what about Melissa?"

"Jeannie, if I know anything, somewhere, somehow, it's going to all work out. And for now, I'm saying see you later."

Jeannie, still looking a bit perplexed, let him go and turned back to her bottle. "I trust you, master," she said finally. "I'll see you later."

Tony waved a hand, turning away as soon as she turned into a cloud of pink smoke.

His heart didn't hurt as much.

* * *

"Tony! I was so worried!" Melissa exclaimed as he came in through the door. "I was calling everybody, frantic because you left the base an hour ago! Where in the world were you?"

Smiling, he kissed Melissa softly. "I was seeing an old friend."


End file.
